last time was very different because the papacy of john paul ii was so long. this time it's going to be a little different. the history of how this conclave will play out will be all new. >> john allen, can you hear me from rome? >> reporter: yes, i can. >> all right, john, great. great to have you. by the way, in case you didn't hear it for yourself, cardinal dolan gave you a shoutout in his interview, saying that you were closest to what the reckonings -- >> i agree with your assessment, it was a fantastic interview. >> he was spot-on about that, we know that much. john, let me ask you. the obvious intrigue is of course this is different what's happening with pope benedict, not since 600 years, but how do you think that may translate and how this process will be different. how will the difference carry through to the general congregations, the conclave, the choice. is this going to be new in many different ways? >> reporter: yeah, i've actually done a column for the paper laying out ten different ways that this thing is in contrast to the last conclave in 20